Despite the fact that there are two highly effective Covid vaccines being injected into arms even as you read this, the pandemic is still in full swing. We will still be wearing masks and social distancing for several months to come. If Thanksgiving taught us anything, it is that reckless behavior will increase over the holidays, soon followed by hospitalizations and deaths. This is not the time to ease up on safety measures.
This is also not the time to give in to fear and stagnation. Life has to go on while doing as much risk mitigation as possible. In part, that means moving gatherings from inside to outdoors. There has never been a better time to make our outdoor spaces great again. By doing so, we give ourselves a chance to keep moving forward in the safest possible way.
Grant it, there are some disadvantages to moving things outdoors. We are just entering the winter season. It is hard to get people excited about doing outdoor events when it is cold outside. Thing is, we can always put on a few more layers of clothing to do the things that matter to us. We also have to do a bit of renovation to make it work. To make your outdoors great again, here is what you need to do:
Church Meetings and Regular Gatherings
Think about all the full cabinets you have at your local church. There are song books and bibles and communion trays and collection baskets and so much more. Some churches have moved to small-groups house church meetings. That is incentive enough to enhance your outdoor meeting space with outdoor wood cabinets.
Clearly, you can choose other materials for your outdoor cabinets. But churches are mostly wooden structures with wooden spaces. To maintain that ambiance outdoors, wooden cabinets are most appropriate. Many local Christmas church services will be held outdoors. Depending on where you live, you could be allowed to set up winterized, temporary outdoor seating areas just like many restaurants. Without such measures, the great outdoors is less great than it could be. If you want more people to come to your outdoors service and other meetings such as AA meetings, you are going to need to look into solutions for winterization.
Cookouts and Campfires
The wintertime is the perfect time for cookouts and campfires. Mostly, what you need is a fire pit and a grill. Human fellowship is vitally important. But it doesn’t have to be done indoors. People who make hunting, camping, and other outdoor activities a part of their lifestyle are used to cooking and dining outside in the cold. For them, it is not an imposition, but a privilege.
Outdoor cooking and dining is a lot older than cooking and dining inside. We have forgotten how natural outdoor eating really is. Before you set up a fire pit in your backyard, be sure to check your local regulations as rules differ by region to make sure you leave no waste behind. Dining with friends outdoors is the truest expression of dining out, not making a reservation in an overpriced, indoor restaurant. It requires precious little and highly affordable prep to transform your backyard into the place where everyone wants to eat.
Walk and Talk
Sometimes, you just want to catch up with a friend and look them in the eye while you do it. Zoom doesn’t quite scratch that particular itch. Why not bring a movie technique to life and do a walk and talk. Meet up at a local park where almost no one else will be, and have a conversation while getting a bit of exercise. The walk will generate body heat.
This can also be used for business purposes. You don’t have to meet inside an office space. You can hold your meetings outside and in motion. To make this work, the only equipment you need is a pair of walking shoes.
It is not snowing everyday. The weather is usually manageable with a coat and gloves. You can get a lot done outside with a relatively high degree of safety, even in a pandemic. Get your backyard ready for church meetings, outdoor dining with friends, and even business. Your backyard is not just for the Spring and Summer. Make it a functional space year-round for whatever comes next.